Sport utility vehicles are highly popular in the United States and in other countries. These vehicles typically have a truck-like chassis, with the interior of the vehicle comprising a single compartment extending from the rear to the front dashboard. Such vehicles generally do not have a trunk on them. As a consequence, most of these vehicles include a door or a tailgate at the rear to provide access from outside the vehicle to the interior through the rear. Typically, rear access is obtained through two different types of systems. One system uses a pair of doors, which are vertically hinged on opposite sides of the vehicle body, and which are swung outwardly to permit access through one or both doors, as desired.
Other utility vehicles use a horizontally hinged, drop down tailgate at the lower portion of the body, with a horizontally mounted lift gate which swings upwardly to open the upper portion. Frequently, access is obtained by lifting the lift gate only (some lift gates cover the entire rear of the vehicle from top to bottom) to permit access. These gates necessarily pivot outwardly and upwardly to an open position for such use.
Whether vertically hinged doors or horizontally hinged lift gates and tailgates are used, it is necessary to provide clearance behind the vehicle to permit the opening and closing of these doors, since they move outwardly from the plane of the rear of the vehicle in varying degrees, as they are rotated about their hinges.
Another disadvantage of the horizontally hinged lift gates, particularly for lift gates which extend from the top of the vehicle body to the bottom of the vehicle body, is that the gates are quite large; and the person using them needs to be careful that the lower edge of the lift gate does not strike such person when the lift gate is being opened or closed. To pull such a lift gate downwardly, it is necessary to be able to reach the raised lower edge, which typically is swung up above the vehicle roof in the open position. This requires a substantial reach in some cases; and for persons of short stature, closing such a vehicle lift gate 12 after it has been opened sometimes is difficult.
It is desirable to provide a panel or door for selectively closing the rear of a sport utility vehicle which is easy to use, attractive in use, and which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art doors and lift gates discussed above.